


Baby, It's Cold Outside

by Filmsterr



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Cold Weather, Cuddling and Snuggling, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Tropes, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 13:30:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7642537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Filmsterr/pseuds/Filmsterr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of course the thermostat would break in their shitty apartment on the coldest night of the year. When Dean has absolutely nothing to keep him warm. And Cas is acting really weird, more than normal. Tonight is going just great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, It's Cold Outside

The door swung open with a pronounced squeak. Dean entered into the apartment, which was a little dingier than normal, followed shortly by Cas. 

“That wasn’t a bad night, huh?” he thought aloud. 

“Yeah,” Cas agreed quietly. “It was nice to see some old friends. Charlie looked good.”

Dean nodded silently. His teeth were chattering and a shiver bristled through his body. “Jesus Christ, it’s cold in here.”

Cas wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his trench coat tight against him and looking around the apartment. Something about the winter made it look particularly unappealing. The off-white paint on the walls looked dirty, faded. The living room looked small, the kitchen uninviting. 

It was just him and Dean on that particular night. Sam had whisked Jess away on some romantic weekend in a cabin, which Cas now pitied the poor guy for. He would take the comfort of his thermostat and heated blanket over a shack made of wood any day, thank you very much. 

“I am freezing,” he said after a minute. “I’m gonna hit the hay.”

“Alright. I’m gonna kick on the heat and do the same. G’night.”

“Night,” Cas called behind him as he marched down the hall toward his room. 

When his door was closed, Dean expelled a sound that indicated just how the cold has set into his bones. Outside it had been just as cold, but he’d had the heat blasting inside Baby as they drove home. Plus the alcohol had seemed to stave off any extreme temperature. But now they were home, and his buzz had worn off. Not to mention….

It was probably nothing, but the night had been a little weird. Like Cas had said, it was nice to see the old gang. But sometimes it also brought up old memories and maybe that wasn’t so great. 

Cas seemed to be acting a little quieter than usual. No reason to sound the alarm there, he wasn’t a particularly wordy guy on his best day. But… Dean could normally read him pretty well, and right now he wasn’t getting anything. It was like Cas was putting up a glass wall or something. He’d spent a lot of the night talking to Meg. Maybe she’d said something that upset him?

Dean shrugged it off and went over to the thermostat. Once he turned this thing on, he could crawl into his bed and everything would be fine in the morning. He turned the knob a ways to the right, but the little hand that indicated temperature stayed stuck on 50. He moved it again, harder this time: nothing. Growing frustrated, he gritted his teeth and yanked it with all his—

Oops. 

The round knob of the thermostat was in his hand. Off the wall. Which is not where it was supposed to be. 

Dean grunted. He tried to stick the broken piece back onto the wall but to no avail. Great. No heat tonight. 

Head in his hands, he directed his feet into his bedroom, which if possible was even colder than the rest of the apartment. He’d just have to layer up on pajamas and then he’d be able to sleep. He put on two pairs of soft pants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. He crawled under the two blankets on his bed and hoped for the best. 

His toes felt like tiny icicles. His fingers stayed frozen, no matter how much hot breath he blew on them. Even the skin underneath his clothes couldn’t get warm. After ten minutes of tossing and turning, he threw the blankets off himself and got out of bed. He pattered out into the hallway and approached Cas’ door. 

He gave two little raps on the door with his fist. 

“Yes?” Cas called from within. Dean opened the door slowly, so as not to invade his privacy too much.

Cas was sitting up in bed with his glasses on. He had two blankets, one comforter and one electric, tucked over his legs. He wasn’t even wearing a sweatshirt. Damn, he must be warm. 

“What’s up?” he asked in a soft voice, closing the book in his lap. 

Dean couldn’t speak for a second; he was distracted by how cold the wooden floor was on his feet, and picturing how good that electric blanket must feel on Cas’ lower half. He shook himself back to attention. “Hey. Uh…. sorry. The thermostat is broken.”

“Oh no,” Cas said, looking at him sympathetically. “That sucks. Well, don’t worry about me. I’m fine with my blankets.” He picked up the cord that ran from his bed to the wall and shook it.

Dean chuckled. “Yeah. I am so friggin’ jealous of that thing.”

Cas’ brow scrunched. He looked for a second like he was thinking hard. Then he said, “What about you? Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine…” Dean was murmuring. “I’m wearing like 8 layers of clothing and I got a few blankets, so…. anyways, I just wanted to warn you. I’ll try to fix it in the morning.” 

He ducked his head into the hall and went to shut the door behind him. 

“Wait!”

Dean peaked back into the room at the sound of Cas’ voice. “Yeah?”

“It’s just…” Cas opened his mouth, and then shut it again. A little pink creeped over his cheeks. Maybe just from the heated blanket though. “I feel bad that you’re going to be hypothermic while I’m all warm and cozy in here.” He paused for a second, then continued, “You can share my blanket, if you want.”

Dean squinted his eyes. “You mean… like, snuggle up together?”

Cas let out an uncomfortable laugh. “I have a queen bed, we don’t have to touch or anything. But the blanket’s really warm and…. I just feel like it’s the least I can do.”

From the doorway, Dean considered the offer. The blanket was a very enticing offer, and on second glance, the bed really was pretty big. And his toes. His freezing icicles toes that could be gone by morning for all he knew. It took only a couple of seconds before he nodded his assent. 

“Okay,” he told Cas firmly as he shuffled toward the bed. Cas nodded in return, trying his best to seem very indifferent and detached about the decision. 

Dean pulled back the blankets and lowered himself slowly onto the bed. The instant that his toes touched the electric blanket a spark traveled through his whole body. “Holy shit this this is hot.”

Cas laughed softly to himself, opening his book up again. “Do you mind if I keep the light on to read for a bit?”

“Fine by me. It’s your room.”

So Cas read on and Dean laid beside him, watching him and enjoying the heat that was stroking every part of him. It felt so good he couldn’t even describe it. He’d have to get one of these for himself, he thought. Especially with the damn thermostat being so unreliable. 

It was after a few minutes of that comfortable silence that Dean realized why Cas was so underdressed. This blanket was hot. Really hot. It made his excess layers of clothing seem not only useless but downright foolish. He wriggled between the sheets, the sensation of overheating making his legs feel itchy and uncomfortable. 

Cas lifted his eyes from his book to toss a confused glance toward his roommate. “Everything alright?” 

Dean frowned. “I think.. I think I’m wearing too many clothes,” he said, and immediately regretted how much that sounded like a bad line from a porno or something. 

“Ah. I see,” was all that Cas managed to say in return. 

Dean moved the blankets off himself and turned to Cas. “Do you mind if I ditch a layer?”

Cas didn’t look at him, but shrugged. Dean took that as begrudging approval and hopped out from under the oppressive heat of the bed. He stripped off one pair of pants and his sweatshirt before getting back under the blanket. Upon re-entry, he exhaled a sigh of relief. “Ah. Much better.”

“Good,” said Cas without taking his eyes off his book. 

Dean fixed his gaze on the man beside him. The silence was bothering him now. He didn’t have to think of it when he was in his room alone, but he was in bed beside Cas who was being weirdly quiet, and all he could think was that the air wasn’t the only thing in this room that was cold tonight. 

“Cas.”

No response. 

“Hey, Cas.” He spoke with more firmness this time. 

Cas’ eyes stayed focused on his lap. “Yes, Dean?”

“Did something happen tonight?”

Ever so slightly- but enough that Dean noticed- Cas shivered. He lifted his gaze, but instead of looking down at Dean, he stared straight in front of him at the wall. “Why do you ask?” he muttered. 

Dean thought carefully about what to say. “You’ve been acting weird to me since we got in the car.”

“I don’t think I’ve been acting weird.”

“Well, I do.”  Dean lifted himself so he sat with his back against the wall now. “You’ve been quiet. More than normal.”

He paused for a second, his eyes reading over Cas. When he spoke again, it was with a hint of trepidation. “Was it Meg? Did she say something to you?”

Cas rolled his eyes at that. “No, it wasn’t Meg,” he answered, opening his book again. 

“Are you sure? You know how she can be a bitch someti—“

“She was fine,” Cas snapped, effectively shutting Dean up. 

But Dean realized that he had struck a chord, and he wasn’t about to let this linger. He thought of that old saying: never go to bed angry. He thought maybe it mostly applied to married couples, but well, whatever. 

In a moment of emotion, he reached over and snatched the book out of Cas’ hands. The anger on Cas’ face when he looked over at Dean made him re-think that action for a minute. But sometimes desperate measures are called for. “Tell me what happened,” he commanded.

“Give me my book back,” Cas almost shouted.

“No. I am not letting this go.”

“Dean, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ah! So there is an _it_.”

Dean wore a satisfied smile that made Cas want to punch him so hard. He could feel blood boiling in his temples, his hands formed into fists unconsciously. God, Dean could be the biggest ass sometimes. 

Cas took a second to close his eyes and steady his breathing. He was sure Dean was staring at him like an idiot, but he didn’t care. He opened his mouth after a few moments and said, as calmly as he could, “Dean-“

“Cas.”

“Shut up.” His eyes flickered open. Dean was, in fact, staring at him like an idiot. “I really don’t feel like talking about it right now. Can you just enjoy this warm bed that I was so kind to share and shut your trap? For like, ten minutes?”

Dean’s face softened. He looked genuinely hurt by Cas’ comments. He placed the book back down on the bed, his hands dropping slowly. 

“I…” He shook his head, a frown dragging down the edges of his lips. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay… that you weren’t mad or sad, or anything. Sorry.”

And, okay, that wasn’t fair because now Cas felt like the world’s biggest dick. Which couldn’t be true because that title would definitely go to Dean before him. 

Cas sighed deeply. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I was just frustrated. Meg did say something to me and it did make me upset.”

The green of Dean’s irises flecked with interest. His mouth didn’t speak but his eyes begged Cas to go on. 

“She was just… just talking about when we used to go out.”

Dean’s features scrunched up with confusion. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I guess you guys did date for a while in high school.”

“Yeah, for a bit,” Cas bit his lip nervously. Dean again said nothing but looked to Cas to finish what he had started. 

“She just— God, she was talking about one of that kid Gordon’s parties, and— it was the night we broke up…” Cas wanted so badly, _so badly_ , to stop then, but Dean was obviously not giving this up until the end so he went on, “I… I had told her that I liked someone else.”

“Well, no great loss on your part there,” Dean snorted. 

“Heh.” Cas laughed uncomfortably. “Yeah.”

Dean pressed on. “So, what’s that got to do with tonight? What’s it matter why you dumped some loser girl in high school?”

Cas pressed his eyes shut and squeaked out his response. “Um, because that other person was there… at the bar… tonight.”

At that, Dean’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. “C’mon, Cas,” he begged, “Don’t leave me hangin’. Who was it, man?”

And then came the longest thirty seconds of Cas’ entire life. Words failed him. The coldness of the air around them sank so deep into his heart that he thought it might cause a permanent condition. But Dean was staring at him with such wide eyes and for some reason he didn’t have the mental capacity to lie so he listened to himself as the word rolled off his tongue, 

“You.”

Shock seemed to take both of them for a moment. Dean pressed his palms into the mattress to keep from falling off the bed. When the moment passed, they both spoke at the same time. 

“What?” Dean asked, but Castiel was already spilling out a long-winded explanation. 

“But, listen— Dean, it was so long ago and I was really drunk when I said it and I honestly think maybe it was just a fluke? Or a way to get out of dating Meg because God what was I insane at the time? But don’t think that it affects us at all now or GOD this was not why I wanted you to share the bed tonight I swear I was only being nice, or trying to be and—”

“Shut up!”

Cas was still rambling and he tripped over his words. “then— wait, what?”

“Shut up!” Dean yelled again, and because Cas had said the same to him before, he thought it only polite to submit to his request. 

The room went totally silent, except for the loud sound of their respective breaths. Cas’, short and measured; Dean’s, sort of loud and heaving. The former was waiting, the latter thinking. Thinking hard. It was a few minutes before he could even wrap his brain around anything to say. 

“So— and stop me if I’m wrong— we’re sitting here, right now, in the apartment that we both live in, together, and we’re sharing a bed, and you used to have a crush on me?”

Cas pressed his eyes tightly shut. His chest felt like it was filled with rocks. Hot tears burned behind his eyes. 

It was exactly like Meg had said. Cas was being stupid- he and Dean, obviously, would never happen. It was idiotic to think of it- which is why he hadn’t, not in years. But when she threatened to tell Dean was when Cas became so angry he could barely think. He’d begged her (bribed her) to keep her mouth shut, and for what? So he could go and blab it all himself barely two hours later. What a fucking idiot. 

“Cas.” Dean’s voice was rough, haggard. His tone was insistent. “ _Cas_.”

“Yes?” Cas sighed out, eyelids glued together, feeling exasperated. 

“Is that a correct summary of what is happening right now?”

Cas peaked his eyes open. The comforter was balled up in his hands, pulled against his body as if it were a security measure. When he spoke, it sounded meek, resigned. “Yes.”

Dean dragged a strong hand over his face. “Jesus, Cas.” He drew in a breath. “Well, why’d you get so upset? If it was so long ago, why give a shit right now?”

It dawned on Cas that they had breached the point of no return. He groaned at the realization that tonight could be the end of it all- his friendship with Dean, his tenure in this apartment. He threw his head into his hands but raised it seconds later, finding that the freedom of no more secrets gave him a sort of inspiration to carry on. 

“Because…” he began, warily. “Because Meg was threatening to tell you what I’d said all those years ago and I just got worried that… well, you know.”

Dean pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. “Well, you’re right about that. She shouldn’t be the one to tell me.” He brought his eyes to meet Cas’ now, for the first time since the initial bombshell. “I just wish you’d told me sooner.”

Now came Cas’ turn to be taken aback. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Was Dean angry at him, for lying? Or for harboring secrets feelings all this time? But Dean seemed to be taking the news much better than he’d expected. He hadn’t screamed or hit him…. he hadn’t even gotten out of the bed. 

Cas’ body seemed to relax a bit, unconsciously. He found himself sinking back into the warmth of the bed, marginally closer to his conversation partner. “Why… why do you say that?”

“Well, shit, Cas,” Dean sighed, rubbing a course hand over his beard. “I mean, if you’d said something earlier, maybe something could have…”

A high-pitched laugh escaped from Cas’ throat. His face quirked into an expression of being completely and utterly lost. “I’m sorry, _what_?”

Dean, for his part, looked completely at ease, like he hadn’t just maybe lost his mind or been momentarily possessed or something. “I don’t know, Cas, I mean I’ve never thought about it, but…”

“Dean, you are not gay.”

“I never said gay,” Dean quickly inserted. “I am definitely not gay, that’s for sure. I have had a lot of fun with many ladies…. But I’m not talking about _guys_ here, I’m talking about _you_. I mean, I have always felt something… different towards you. Deeper, maybe. Whether that was a special brotherhood kind of bond or…. I don’t know.”

Was Cas high? Had he been slipped something at the bar? That was the only reasonable explanation that came to mind for the words he seemed to hear coming from Dean’s mouth. 

He shook his head, and tried to speak as clearly as possible. “Dean, don’t you think if youwere attracted to me _at all_ , you would have noticed by now?”

“Hey now, that’s not fair,” retorted Dean with a scold. “You’re asking me to measure something that wasn’t even on my radar. How was I supposed to know?”

The room was filled with such a heat now, between the blanket and their thick breath and the tension that was only rising- it was hard to believe it was even cold outside anymore.

Cas’ head was starting to hurt a bit- this was all… just, too much. He tried to take in a deep breath, but he found it impossible to do. He tried again, and still nothing was getting into his lungs. Again and again he tried to suck in air and slowly he realized he couldn’t breathe and his eyes widened as he started to panic. 

Dean watched Cas hyperventilating and didn’t know what to do. Was that his fault? As if by instinct, he flew to his friend’s side and grabbed him by the shoulders. Cas looked up at Dean, helpless. “Hey, hey, now,” Dean soothed. “Just calm down. Breathe. It’s fine. I got you. It’s all good.”

He rubbed a hand up and down Cas’s back, urging him to relax himself. It was a few moments of silence, Cas breathing in and out, in and out; Dean rubbing up and down, up and down. Eventually, Cas managed to even himself out. He straightened up so that he was looking Dean in the eyes now, but neither of them moved to break the physical connection. 

After a small pause, Dean leaned in close to Cas’ ear and whispered,

“Do you want me to give you mouth-to-mouth?”

“Jesus, Dean!” yelled Cas, trying to shove him away. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

And the smile that Dean gave him, oh Lord, it went straight to his knees. If Dean weren’t still gripping him tight, he probably would have collapsed onto the bed. But he was, and Cas wasn’t hating that either.

Their faces were only inches apart. Hot breath lacing each other’s cheeks. Cool air blowing over their legs and torsos. Dean’s eyes darted over Cas’ face: eyes, nose, cheeks, lips. Lips, quivering with nerves and anticipation, and…

Without thinking, he leaned in, stopping just short of contact and giving one last look to Cas, asking permission without words. 

“Am I dreaming?” Cas muttered to himself mindlessly. The lack of oxygen in his brain left him feeling woozy. 

Another cocky smile pulled at Dean’s lips. “Just how often do you fantasize about me, Cas?” he mused. 

But before Cas could answer, their lips connected, and any doubt about the moment completely left both of their minds. An electricity flew through their both of their bodies, from the core out to the furthest extremities. Such a heat built up in Dean’s stomach that he didn’t think he’d need the electric blanket as long as he lived. Tongues licked and tangled, teeth nipped playfully and nibbled sweetly. Cas wasn’t sure if any time had passed when he pulled his head away (with much effort, it should be noted).

They stayed like that, upright in bed, holding each other, panting loudly. The air in the room felt different now. It wasn’t nearly as cold anymore. 

“Wow,” Dean panted, when he managed to speak again. Cas had no words. He leaned in to capture Dean’s lips again, more softly this time, as if testing out the feel. Dean smiled against his mouth. 

That was how the rest of the night went. Dean kept looking over at Cas, his eyes shining with a kind of amazement. He was seeing something new every time he looked over; he wondered how it was possible he’d been missing it all this time. Cas continued to dot kisses on Dean’s face and body, waiting for the moment he would wake up or Dean would shove him off, but… it never came. 

When Cas’ eyelids started to droop, Dean gently- but firmly- suggested that they lie down and try in earnest to get some sleep. Neither was quite sure how to configure their bodies- but they knew that they wanted to spend the night wrapped in each other. So after testing out a few different angles, they settled on lying face to face, Cas’ head on Dean’s chest, arms circling each other warmly. 

It had been no more than ten minutes when the lights in the apartment turned off with a sort of pronounced click. The boys rustled their eyebrows, wondering what happened, when the cold started to sink into their toes once again. 

“Oh no!” yelped Cas, as he tried to sit up straight in bed, “The electricity! The _blanket_!”

Dean tugged him back down onto the mattress, into his embrace. “Hey, hey. No worries,” he whispered, giving one last kiss to Cas’ forehead, “I’ve got something better to keep me warm now.”

 


End file.
